How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your Business

If your business has employees or contractors posting on your social media channels, it is important you set guidelines so your social media correctly reflects your business brand.

Define your brand. What is the feeling behind your business. How do you want your brand reflected on social media. Do you want to lean more toward the corporate or more toward the social.

Select words. Many businesses have words they like to use often and words they choose to avoid. Have an ‘instead-of-this-use-this’ list so posts can reflect your business brand.

Define roles. Will all your employees post under the corporate account or will you allow employees to post using their own accounts?

Define resources. How many blog and/or social media posts do you expect per day/week/month? How much time will the Company allocate to this.

Define content. What types/theme/style of content would you like to see on blog/social media regularly, what styles of posts would you like to see sometimes, what styles of posts do you not want to see at all.

Define the goal of your blog/social media channels. Remember, social media is more of a game of connections rather than numbers. Are you simply using social media to connect with your customer/visitor base, are you hoping to bring traffic to your website, or are you hoping for lead generation?

Select which employees can post on behalf of your business. Not only do you want someone who can understand your business, but you want someone who understands the ramifications of posting the wrong thing on social media.

Social Media Guidelines Sample:

If you identify yourself as a (Company) employee, be sure all content associated with you is consistent to (company) brand and philosophy.

If you identify yourself in your personal account as a (Company) employee, please ensure your privacy settings are set to keep your personal posts separate from what you may share with the general public as a (Company) employee.

If you are posting as a (Company) employee, do not enter into controversial discussions. If you are giving an opinion state it is your personal opinion.

If you are posting as a (Company) employee, write what you know based on your area of expertise.